CALLED “One of the finest conductors of his generation” by American maestro Robert Shaw, Dr. Alfred Calabrese enjoys a diverse career as conductor, educator, composer, author, and church musician. His academic engagements have included directing choral activities at Southern Methodist University, Emory University, and Brevard College. In addition, he has been a Visiting Professor at Indiana University's Jacob School of Music, guest lecturer at the University of Notre Dame, the University of South Carolina, and the Conservatoire de Versailles, France. Since 2007, he has been the Director of Music at Saint Rita Catholic Church in Dallas, TX, overseeing a comprehensive music program that includes five choirs, professional vocalists, organists, and full-time staff. Furthermore, he conducts the professional choir, Band of Voices. 

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Dr. Calabrese is a distinguished academic, holding the Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees in Conducting from the  Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where his principal teachers were Dr. Jan Harrington and Robert Porco. His undergraduate studies in theory, ear training, and counterpoint with Robert Levin at SUNY Purchase are in the lineage of Nadia Boulanger. He has prepared choirs for several prominent conductors including John Nelson, Yoel Levi, David Stahl, and Sir David Willcocks, and the Grammy © Award-winning Robert Shaw during his time as a rehearsal assistant to the Atlanta Symphony Chorus.  He worked in close collaboration with Maestro Shaw for three years, rehearsing the Chorus in works as diverse as Mahler Symphony #2, #3, and #8; Berlioz Romeo et Juliette; Janáček Glagolitic Mass, Verdi Quattro Pezzi Sacri, and the annual Christmas with Robert Shaw concerts.  Calabrese was also the conductor of the Charleston Symphony Chorus for the 1995-96 season, leading the orchestra in its children's concerts and for the annual Christmas Concerts.

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While in Atlanta, Calabrese founded The Britten Choir, a professional chamber choir that performed an eclectic repertoire for enthusiastic audiences in the region and sang at the 1996 ACDA regional convention in Norfolk, VA. Their 1995 recording, Magnifical and Mighty, received rave reviews from composer Ned Rorem ("Your performance of the Madrigals is supple, intelligent, caring, and tonally lovely. I couldn't be happier"). Fanfare Magazine stated that The Britten Choir "compares favorably with The Sixteen and The Finzi Choir." LISTEN

Their recording of Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb has been heard frequently on NPR's Performance Today.

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With a profound passion for compositions from the choral/orchestral canon, Calabrese's repertoire is extensive, encompassing the works of Bach, Brahms, Britten, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert, Handel, Haydn, Stravinsky, Fauré, Duruflé, Poulenc, Pärt, and others, and well over 500 smaller pieces for choir alone. Additionally, his extensive experience extends to the orchestral repertoire, including symphonies and concerti by Beethoven, Mozart, Dvorak, Poulenc, and Britten, among others. He is also recognized for his dedication to composing music for liturgical purposes and is a contributing author for the Catholic website, CorpusChristiWatershed.  

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Dr. Calabrese's influence extends beyond the confines of his institutions, as he as served as guest conductor and clinician both in the United States and internationally. With Band of Voices, he has appeared on EWTN under the auspices of the Benedict XVI Institute. He regularly appears as a conductor for the festivals of American Federation Pueri Cantores, the Church Music Association of America, and the Sacred Music Symposium. Notably, he has had the privilege of being a guest conductor at the Conservatoire de Versailles and  directing concerts with L'Offrande Lyrique and the L’Ensemble Polyphonique de Versailles, underscoring his international recognition and contributions to the world of music.

 

Alfred Calabrese resides in Dallas, TX with his wife Cynthia. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.